Britain: I'm beginning to live in fear of the state

telegraph: For some years now, my first conscious thought on waking has been: is that bloody Blair out of office yet? How I ache to see his fallen head in the back of the armoured limo for the very last time. Haloed by a thousand flashbulbs. Farewelled by a single headline: TONY OUT.

It really is time he upped and went, isn't it? Politicians are meant to be here-today-gone-tomorrow kinds of creatures, not lifelong, Caesaro-papal, totalitarian autocrats grinning Trust me! and making it pretty damn clear that they don't trust us.

I want him out because he is changing my (free) country from a place I placidly love, admire and am grateful to have been born in, to a state I am beginning to fear. I don't really care what Tony does or doesn't do to the blessed schools 'n' hospitals any more. Don't even care about his difficulties with ermine or ministerial fly-buttons.

What I care about is that he is taking away my freedom to be who I am. The ID card lunacy alone should have the free citizens of Britain pouring into the streets a la poll tax riots. The state database is only one of Tony's assaults on freedom, but it's the biggest, the stupidest and the most illiberal.

He - Tony - will never, ever be stopped by some snotty youth 10 days out of Hendon Police College and asked to "identify himself to the authorities". You and I will. Read more